Carl W. Childress, OD, FAAO, FNAP
He is known in the practice as "Dr. Carl"...the "Joke" doctor; known in the Navy as Captain Childress; and known by his children as dad! Whatever you call him there is one thing for sure, he loves his family, his patients, and the Navy/Marines!
Dr. Carl was born in Longview,Texas on July 22. He graduated from Longview High School, went to Texas Tech, and received his Doctor of Optometry in 1968 from the University of Houston. Every year he takes twenty to thirty hours of continuing education and enjoys seeing all the changes that have taken place in Optometry over the decades. However, he is passionate about functional vision and hopes to see younger Optometrists incorporate a standard of care that ensures all patients achieve their full visual potential through good binocularity.
After graduating from the UOH College of Optometry, he joined his parents, Drs. Raymond and Mary, at Childress Vision Clinic. Soon after joining the practice, he was drafted in the United States Navy where he gave thirty years of combined active and reserve service to our country in both the Navy and the Marine Corps. He did this all while actively maintaining thoughtful care for his patients at home in the family practice!
During his Naval career, Dr. Carl had many opportunities to be an integral part of the Navy's mission as an officer who believed in leading by example. His duties awards, and medals are a testimony of his desire to do all things with excellence. His love and passion of Optometry and helping his patients with their vision needs is no different. Providing "Excellence in Vision"TM care is truly his mission as an Optometrist.
His professional accomplishments include publishing, lecturing, researching, and investigating the development of contact lens solutions, materials, and prescribing methods; he has maintained a heavy world-wide patient load with an emphasis on
dry eye (Meibomian Gland Dysfunction), vision therapy for infants through elderly who have astigmatism, strabismus, ADD/ADHD, TBI (traumatic brain injury), Dyslexia, various learning disabilities, post-stroke, post-concussion, and sensory processing disorder; and he remains one of the leading contact lens practitioners with an emphasis on non-surgical reduction of nearsightedness with Orthokeratology.
He maintains a professional relationship with NORA (Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation), AOA (American Optometric Association), AAO (Amercian Academy
of Optometry, COVD (College of Optometrists in Vision Development), SWCO (Southwest Council of Optometry), NAP (National Academies of Practice), AOF (American Optometric Foundation), AFOS (Armed Forces Optometric Society), Beta Sigma Kappa (International Optometric Honor Society), and of course his alma mater, University of Houston Eye Institute!
He is married to Patricia Binkley-Childress (she will see you at the front desk!)
and has two sons, three daughters, one son-in-law, one daughter-in-law, five granddaughters and one great granddaughter!
Dr. Carl enjoys Chess, Politics (lots of news watching!!), History, Sailing, Tennis (has to get back in shape for that one!), food that is so bad for him, Photography, Classical Music, and Skiing (he has definitely got to get in shape for that one and even then not sure Patricia would let him!).
All joking aside, Dr. Carl loves the Lord and wants to ensure his patients feel loved and appreciated when they come in. He spends a tremendous amount of time with each patient and wants them to know he cares about them as a person and that they are able to achieve the best possible vision that can be attained.
That doesn't cover all of who Dr. Carl is or all of what he has done, but he does love to talk...next time you are in just ask him...he will talk your ear off (and Patricia might frequently remind him what time it is!).